I really thought I could carry all the groceries into the house by myself. <\/p>\n
My wife and our daughter both offered to help, but I said no. Everything was in bags. And I\u2019m a big strong manly man. I could handle it alone. You know what\u2019s coming, right? Right. I tried to carry too much at one time\u2014which would make fewer trips, don\u2019t you know\u2014and dropped one bag and spilled another, breaking a jar of barbecue sauce and injuring my pride.<\/p>\n
I often do the same sort of thing in prayer. Maybe you do, too.<\/p>\n
We have been offered help. The Bible says, \u201cThe Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God\u2019s people in accordance with the will of God\u201d (Romans 8:26-27, niv). Unfortunately, we too often try to pray \u201call by myself,\u201d so to speak, instead of taking the help that is offered.<\/p>\n
How can we accept the Spirit\u2019s help when we pray? I can think of at least four ways:<\/p>\n
1. Ask the Spirit to escort you to the Father.<\/strong><\/p>\n My two-year-old granddaughter wanted me to meet someone she had just met. But her vocabulary wouldn\u2019t allow her to verbally explain what she wanted, so she simply took hold of my hand and led me to her new friend.<\/p>\n God\u2019s Holy Spirit does something like that too. He tenderly and graciously ushers us into the presence of the Father when we might otherwise feel or stay distant: \u201cSo you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, \u2018Abba, Father\u2019\u201d (Romans 8:15, nlt). So the next time you bow your head or close your eyes to pray, try picturing the Spirit taking you by the hand and leading you into the presence of your \u201cAbba, Father.\u201d<\/p>\n